2014–2015 English for International Students (EIS)

Program Description

The English for International Students (EIS) program supports multilingual international students in academic English acquisition. Multilingual international students have the opportunity to improve their English ability through coursework and through individualized mentoring. The courses emphasize academic reading, writing, and communication, as well as culture, grammar, academic vocabulary, and academic disciplines.

Program Goals

Acquire academic writing skills in English in order to write for an American academic audience. This includes learning the following: the writing process, rhetorical situations, information literacy, editing strategies, and academic genres.

Develop strategies for listening and speaking in classroom situations, including discussion and presentation skills.

Adjust to life in the USA and at Westminster College. This includes learning about cross-cultural adjustment and cross-cultural communication.

Receive individualized instruction from instructors and mentors to facilitate their learning in academic courses at Westminster College.

Students must meet the college-wide graduation requirements in addition to the English for International Students program:

124 total hours

30 upper division hours

Liberal education distribution

Admissions Criteria

Multilingual international students who do not meet Westminster College’s English language admission requirement may be conditionally accepted to the College through the English for International Students Bridge Program.

Bridge Level 1 (Fall Semester Only)

Students must demonstrate an intermediate level in English with a standardized test score. Bridge Level 1 students must meet one of the following scores for admission:

TOEFL ibt: 45

IELTS: 5.5

Pearson’s Test: 39

TOEFL pbt: 450

Bridge Level 2 (Fall, Spring, or Summer)

Students must demonstrate an advanced-intermediate level in English with a standardized test score. Bridge Level 2 students must meet one of the following scores for admission:

TOEFL ibt: 61

IELTS: 6.0

Pearson’s Test: 44

TOEFL pbt: 500

Criterion for Full Undergraduate Admission into Westminster College

Bridge Level 1

Bridge Level 1 students must meet the following requirements for full admission to Westminster College:

Receive a grade of C or higher in all their classes

Receive a recommendation from the EIS director

Score the equivalent of a TOEFL ibt 79 on a standardized test, such as the institutional TOEFL

Bridge Level 1 students who do not meet the minimum language proficiency requirements after 3 semesters are unable to matriculate at Westminster College.

Bridge Level 2

Bridge Level 2 students must do ALL of the following for full admission to Westminster College:

Receive a grade of C or higher in all their classes

Receive a recommendation from the EIS director

Score the equivalent of a TOEFL ibt 79 on a standardized test, such as the Institutional TOEFL.

Bridge Level 2 students who do not meet the minimum language proficiency requirements after 2 semesters are unable to matriculate at Westminster College.

Courses

Credit Hours

Prerequisites

Courses

27

ENGL 109 Academic Reading and Writing for International Students (3)

ENGL 135A Academic Orientation for International Students (3)

ENGL 135B Information Literacy Intensive for International Students (3)